So I hear there's a variation on the rain dance that can change a head wind to a tail wind.

Anyone got one? I could've used it today...

I don't know what I did but it must of worked. I had an excellent tail wind today!

Man, you ain't lying. My commute is a perpetual headwind. Working nights, I head to work at 4:00, ALWAYS into a south wind, and by the time I come home, any wind that exists is a north wind. It has taken me months and months, but I have had to accept that a tailwind is like Christmas. Once a year, and a tailwind is a gift.

EDIT: See for yourself

Always a headwind for me as well. Prevailing winds here are from the east in the morning and from the west in the evening. I'll be leaving in 20 minutes or so and I'll only be facing 15 - 20 MPH headwind tonight which isn't too bad.

I had two tailwinds already this year. I nearly shat myself.

Best feeling in the world: Riding at the same speed as your tailwind and having the a perfect dead zone where it's perfectly calm around you but your riding like 15mph or whatever. It's happened to me twice this year.

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year, all I want is a tailwind 20% of the time. I promise I'll be good. I further vow not to disparage the good name of Mother Nature.

Yours Truly

That is an extremely rare, but awesome experience.

I have been able to hit a few tailwinds in the last couple of weeks. They had me cruising at a casual 19 mph for about 4 miles until I had to go in another direction. I am waiting for the still days and nights that will allow for good riding.

I had the best one in about 2 years today. I normally ride about 15-18 mph. I was around 23mph for 8 of the 10 miles. I am just scared what it will be like when I get off in the morning. Best time to work, could be the worst time back home.

What is this tailwind you speak of. Everybody knows the wind only blows directly at you.

Tailwind. HA that is a good one.

No seriously..I F'in hate you wind. Every single day. I live in Seattle so my rides are usually up hill both ways and always into the wind. It always changes so that even when i ride in a straight line and turn around, it adjusts itself to "give me strength."

Maybe i should just embrace the gods and practice this wind dance. SERENITY NOW!

I had that experience at 40 km/h (25 mph) while commuting home a few months ago - it was great!

Normally I have an east wind in the morning and a west wind in the afternoon, so always a headwind (if it is windy).

I remember wondering at the bizarre local variations on the laws of physics here and asking a fellow cyclist "How in the hell is this trail uphill both ways?" The answer was really complicated, involving time warps, and Einstein's theory of special relativity, but, basically, it came down to "This is what you get for not living in the flat lands."

I know what I did, I ate Mexican food last night, can't say it helped much actually made me a bit nervous a couple of times.

Seriously, my route sounds similar to CACycling, typical morning offshore wind out of the SE my direction and afternoon onshore out of the NW. Rarely do I have a tail wind for my commute, well except the aforementioned self generated type.

Ok so it isn't completely uphill both ways. My commute is down one giant hill and up another. So whichever direction i'm going i'm stuck climbing some of the larger hills in my city. Fremont-Queen Anne.

Fortunately my commute always involves an epic downhill that makes each ride totally worth it

NO exaggeration on the headwind though. That #$@ follows me. ITS EVIL

I wasn't making fun of you, by the way ... it really does feel like Seattle is uphill in every direction. And Queen Anne is one of the more serious hills around. Which way to you climb it?

Your post was funny, I wouldn't have cared if you were.

I have a standard double so i don't have the balls to climb the counterbalance so i usually ride up 4th on the north side or if i'm feeling lazy i'll take the aurora bridge. Its a blast flying down fremont from the zoo though.

I like to ride up the waterfront, from Pioneer Square or the ID, to Golden Gardens. Heading back into civilization usually means climbing Ass Kick Hill until you're at the top of Phinney Ridge. Then the reward for all of that is to head down Fremont Ave. I always want to scream "No brakes no brakes no brakes" but luckily I can usually recognize when something has "bad idea" written all over it...

I've never tried 4th Ave on the north side of the hill, but will have to give that a try. Third is just barely doable, but what an awful climb! I've found that it can be easier from the south if you start at 5th Ave, near the Mercer intersection, and then climb whatever that turns into. It goes by Trolley Park ( or something like that ) and lets off at the top of Nob Hill, slightly above upper QA. It's a longer ride, but much less steep because of it. The second best ascent I've found after this one, is Olympic Ave ( a block up from Roy ). But I'm always on the lookout for a better approach, especially since my brother just got a job at the top of the hill.

I had this happen on a downhill section going about 30mph. It was a SUPER windy day, but luckily I was going slow up the hill into the headwind. Went down the other side of the ridge with a tailwind, and it was just ...weird. Going that fast and not feeling wind was an eerie sensation, like riding a bicycle in space.

I meant 3rd ave. I ride down fremont from 46th to 39th without using brakes. I usually get up to about 35 mph. I feel totally safe doing it. The only problem for me was that my Roubaix can go from 40mph to a dead stop in about 20 feet but my heavy commuter needs to have its brakes adjusted, i was flying down and the light turned red and wouldn't have been able to stop until the middle of the intersection so i ended up having to turn right. Other than that ITS GREAT!

I like the waterfront trail but its the WORST when it comes to headwind in the whole fricken city.

If you ever ride up north on the interurban trail take 175th down and under I-5 and up the other side. turn left on 15th (intersection w/ safeway) go down until 15th meets up with 24th...go down 24th.

2.0 mile epic curvy beautiful downhill with lots of trees and scenery. Spits you out on the burke gilman to ride back to seattle. No stops from top of the hill to the bottom, just two miles of unadulterated adrenaline.

I do a loop from the Zoo up the interurban, down my favorite hill to burke gilman and back. 25 miles round trip and mostly flat except for my favorite part. Not to mention the majority is on bike paths.

Not seeing much in the way of dancin .

I had that once many years ago. My regular time is 35-40 minutes, basically straight along one road for over five miles, with a couple blocks off at either end. One summer day there was a brutal wind, exactly parallel to that road, in my direction on the way home. I got on that road an pedaled like a demon, and go home in 28 minutes. (Yes, it's not all that fast, but I'm old and have a slow bike.)

Sometimes it seems like the wind is coming from every direction; no matter which way you turn you're fighting it.

ummm ... it's called a 180 ... Doh!

What is a tail wind. It is like Christmas. But we should love the wind, six months later after your legs and lungs have gotten that much stronger.